Cautious
pragmatism
EN passes on some takeaways from a special
Brexit EventHuddle, which focused on
the potential implications of leaving the EU for
the hospitality and events sector
L
ast month, EN attended
a panel discussion on
Brexit, featuring Nick de
Bois, former adviser to
Dominic Raab MP, and Juliet
Price, consultant executive
director of the HBAA (Hotel
Booking Agents Association)
and moderated by Kevin
Jackson of Experience is in
the Marketing.
The tone of the debate,
while cautious, was
pragmatic, with both
panellists urging businesses
to be aware of potential risks
but not to panic.
Staffing is a key issue for
Price’s association members,
many of whom walk the
line between the hospitality
and events industry. She
acknowledged that the
concerns around staffing
were “becoming more
and more prevalent,” with
members “not able to attract
EU nationals at a level of
skill that they were before.”
De Bois pointed out that,
“the settled status scheme
is very straightforward and
if the technology works it
should be easy. In a deal or
no deal situation EU citizens
working here have the right
to apply for settled status.
We can go through a swift
process to give you the
rights that you have now and
remain.”
He added that whether or
not there is a no deal Brexit,
“the EU and the UK have
effectively agreed that we
will have visa-free travel
Debate
between here and Europe.”
Both panelists said that
for the events industry
it was important to be
introspective.
Businesses “need to be
aware of their client base
and understand what their
client’s agenda is,” advised
Price. “You’ve got to try and
get to grips with your client
base and try to understand
what their views are.
“Costs are rising. It’s
not just food costs that are
going up, it’s also wages and
those kind of costs need to
be managed. The hospitality
industry recognises that they
are going to have to swallow
it but clients are also going
to have to carry some of that.
Agencies need to be aware
that they will see an increase
in costs over the next year.”
When asked about the
issue of whether businesses
should be considering
opening a mainland
European office, de Bois
stated: “That question can
only be answered by looking
at the size and nature of your
business. How a business
adjusts itself in the current
climate - there is a danger
that we will get totally
consumed by the dynamics
of Brexit, if you look at the
wider global economy we
should also be thinking now
about how we’re going to
deal with the potential of a
downturn.
“We’re seeing factors
out of our control affecting
consumption and production
around the world, that is
something we should bear
in mind. If I was in a small
business now I would be
trying to diversify my client
base. That is your strength in
difficult times.” EN
The full discussion can be
found on the EventHuddle
YouTube channel.
event w i f i . com
March — 17